TikTok critic Keith Lee reviewed 2 metro Phoenix restaurants. What he ate, how they ranked
Keith Lee, a former MMA fighter and current social media food critic with 17 million followers across TikTok and Instagram, has officially made it to Arizona after teasing his arrival last week.
He posted a poll on his Instagram story asking where in Arizona he should go — the choice was between metro Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff or Prescott — it seems he's settled on metro Phoenix, specifically the East Valley. His first two video reviews spotlighted a Latin American restaurant and a Korean restaurant in Mesa.
Here's what Keith Lee thought of the first two restaurants he tried in Arizona.
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Republica Empanada
The first video Lee posted in Arizona was about Republica Empanada, a Latin American restaurant in downtown Mesa. Lee said his wife received a recommendation for the restaurant while in a shoe store.
Lee said he and his family spent $25.35 on five empanadas. The flavors he tried were mushroom chicken, Nutella and banana, Ruiz's pieces, jalapeno potato popper and the Cubana.
He said the Cubana was "god d*** good" and rated it an 8/10, as well as the Nutella and banana. But the mushroom chicken was his favorite, which he rated 8.5/10.
"If this place is slow, in my opinion, it shouldn't be," Lee said in his video.
At the end of the video, Lee and his family entered the restaurant and left a $500 tip for every employee working that night.
Details: 204 E. First Ave., Mesa. 480-969-1343, republicaempanada.com.
Myungrang Hotdog
The second video Lee posted in Mesa was at Myungrang Hotdog, a Korean hot dog restaurant near Mesa's Asian district.
The restaurant was recommended by Dawn, one of the owners, who wrote in an email to Lee that she and her husband "have been doing our best to keep our doors open, but it has been a struggle."
Lee ordered a variety pack containing five different hot dogs: original with sugar, squid ink and mozzarella, sweet potato, potato with Flamin' Hot Cheetos and mozzarella ramen.
He said overall the hot dogs had a nice crunch and were best when dipped in the restaurant's sweet chili sauce. His favorites were the original with sugar, which he rated 8 out of 10, and the squid ink and mozzarella, which he rated 7.8 out of 10.
"Nothing I've had is indicative of this place being so slow they got to consider closing. Not even a little bit," Lee said.
After trying the hot dogs, Lee left the restaurant with $2,500 to feed the next customers that came into the store.
Early Wednesday morning, Myungrang Hotdog posted on Instagram thanking Lee for the video, and said they plan to schedule a whole day to offering free meals to as many people in the community as possible using the $2,500 from Lee. The date of the event will be posted in the coming days, according to the post caption.
Details: 1832 W. Broadway Road, Suite 103, Mesa. 998-877-6655, myungrangamerica.com.
Where will Keith Lee go next in Arizona?
While Lee mostly likes to keep his locations a secret before posting about them, he did post a poll on his Instagram story earlier this week asking which restaurant most represents Arizona's food scene. The choice was between four Black-owned restaurants: Sugar Jam, Latha, Brunch House and Ace of Wings. When the poll closed, Ace of Wings was leading by a large margin.
Who is Keith Lee?
Keith Lee started posting food reviews on TikTok in 2021. His videos are unique in that they all take place in his car. He's explained in the past that he sends in a member of his family to pick up takeout and eats it in his car so as to maintain anonymity for an experience closer to that of an average customer.
His TikTok videos have garnered over 96.3 million likes and he's gotten so popular, the uptick in business at a restaurant he reviews has been dubbed "The Keith Lee" effect by Bon Appetit.
Reach the reporter at endia.fontanez@gannett.com. Follow @EndiaFontanez on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Keith Lee reviewed 2 metro Phoenix restaurants. Here's how they ranked
